When the promised Messiah enters the world, He brings with Him a safety and completeness which pervades every part of human existence. Jesus offers peace which resides within our hearts, and which affects our lives – a peace which protects us from harm and promises good. This is a reality which reaches far beyond the mere outward vision of amicable order. In a world where nearly everyone struggles with inner anxious turmoil, the promise of One who can authoritatively bring peace, is like the growing warmth of a newly lit candle, in a cold and dark room…the promise of safety and wholeness within, imparts wondrous hope.

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. Four descriptors to describe Jesus and the way He ushers in a kingdom of peace. But of the four, there is one descriptor that seems rather odd. It is Jesus, the Everlasting Father. Maybe, it is because at Christmas, we think of Jesus as a baby in a manger not a father. Perhaps, we have read the bible and Jesus is rarely described as a father. Or just maybe, some of us have been disappointed by fathers and cannot imagine Jesus to be characterized as such.

Have you ever thought of how it would be to meet the Almighty God of the Bible? I think everyone has some kind of concept about this; even people who question the existence of God imagine it somehow.  One might wonder how it things would be if God really existed. I know this because, in conversations about God, I’ve heard people use arguments like “there is no evidence for God” or “Why God doesn’t just show up?”

You see, “wonderful” is one of those words we’ve lost track of, like “awesome”. “Awesome” means “inspiring an emotion variously combining dread, veneration, and wonder that is inspired by authority or by the sacred or sublime”, but we use it to mean “really cool”. Seems like a bit of a waste now, doesn’t it? Like paying for a drip coffee with a hundred dollar bill, it gets the job done, but it’s overkill.

If you’re reading this, chances are that you saw this in your mail or perhaps on a window outside—regardless, thank you for your curiosity about the artwork for our Christmas sermon series this year! Perhaps you’ve never heard about Jesus, or only have a rough idea of his story, and you’re thinking, “What the heck does all this imagery mean?!”—read on

Jonathan moved over to Vancouver 3 years ago following a reignited passion for film school. Since being in Vancouver, it has become evident to Jonathan that God has been progressively working within his heart to surrender at an even deeper level: “A part of my prayer this past year was that I would have a willingness to suffer for Christ”. This prayer and earnest desire to live his life for Christ, not his fleshly desires, opened doors to healing and change that God had waiting for him.

Mike and Adam took their brother to the emergency room for what turned into a long day of tests. At the end of the day, a doctor pulled all three of them aside. They had found a mass in Matt’s chest. The doctor couldn’t say for sure—they needed to do more tests—but it was probably cancer.

For the past two years I have watched my best friends go through one of the biggest trials that I can imagine. It affected every aspect of daily life for them and their two boys. Most of you know Marc as our worship director—that guy on stage in the Levi’s 519 extreme skinnies who plays the guitar and leads us in song every week. Some of you might recognize Chars as his wife, the Mom of those two rambunctious blonde boys, or as the lady who has to lay on the floor in the balcony on Sunday mornings. But to me the Willertons are family.

As John observed the missional heart of his parents, their love for God, dedicated service, and the clear blessings they received, a belief began to take root: “I believed that if you served the Lord (like my parents did), God would have your back”. They were God-honouring people, fulfilling the Great Commission in a country that needed Jesus—surely God’s blessings would flow over servants such as these. This growing assurance that service to God would bring blessings here on earth would soon be challenged, and John’s faith would be shaken to the core. In 2007, the Sharpe family was faced with devastating news —Marla had breast cancer.

Jodi recalls that the first Sunday they brought Elle to the church they received a lot of congratulations, but a few condolences—as if this was a tragic loss for their family. Having a child with Down syndrome is “not something to be grieved over,” said Jodi, “It’s someone created in the image of God to be celebrated.” They saw that there was a lot of misunderstanding about what it means to have a child with Down syndrome.

It’s a vulnerable thing to recount trials and past suffering, even when God has brought you through them.  But I know that my story demands to be told because it’s God’s story. It’s about His pursuit of this prodigal daughter and how He has brought about healing and redemption. God’s good and perfect plan has turned the sad story of a baby’s abandonment in China into a beautiful love story, weaving together two lives to form a family here in Vancouver, here at Westside.

Those who aim to follow Jesus in every area of life have to come under the Scriptures as authoritative just like Jesus did!

Sunday mornings don’t allow enough time to hit all the nuances of creation and God’s relationship to it so let me go a little deeper by way of this post and address some questions you may have.

We launched a new sermon series called “Eden” this past Sunday; a 10-week series that will walk through the first three chapters of Genesis.